Float system for high-pressure stills



Feb, 10. l 925.

F. E. WELKMAN FLOAT SYSTEM FOR HIGH PRESSURE 51 1mm Original Filed March 8, 1922 Patented Feh. "m,

LE'IRANK E. VVFdleI-Mldlil, OF KANSAS-(3ITY,

oesomur. comreu'ir,

KANEAS. ASSIG'NOR TO THE KAKSM CITY OF CITY, KANSAS, A GOHPOEATION F KAHEAS.

reoer steered roe. HIGHJPRESSURE'STILLS.

.lpplicaiien Media-larch 13 153% Serial No. 542,154. Renewed July 3, lllfbl.

To all whom. it may camera:

Be it known the-l; l, FmurrE. WELLMAN, a citizen of the. United States, residing at Kaneas (lily. in the counhv Wysmdotte and I5 the State of Kansas, have invented certain hew' and useful improvements in Float Sysbems for ll'ighl ressure Stills, of which the following is e specification, reference being lied therein in the accompanying drawing".

My invention'reletee to means for indicating-the level of oil and for regulating the supply in and to pressure stills. ll) has for its object the provision, of a float as the 18 essential "Working element of the system, in combination with means for preventing the collapse of said float. under all conditions of pressure ii the still.

Mostpressureslills when operated, sire 20 put under preesure plied by pumping in lges which hes been created by another, battery oi cracking stills previously in operation. Obviously, ii a fleet is emplo ed, the external pressure upon it must he elencerl in some way in order to preventcollepsinf in low pressure epparet-us such as steam boilers, li uid tanks, and the like, simple means may; e adopted to maintain an cquelity of pressure within arid Without a liquid level iloai as shown for example in U. S. Letters Patent Nun he r 227,145 issued May 4, 1880 to Amundsen. Such means fell. however, under izhe exacting'condition found in high pressure work, and especially in oil stills, Where 2, small fractional diiierence or inequality between inside and outside pressure may run touite suiiicient to many unds to the inch,

lat can he made collapse the strongest float t bouyant.

In order to attain my object, I have found it ueceseary to control the pressure vvifihin the float from the outside of the still, and to close the float entirely with respect to the contents of the still, hoih gas and oil.

This H enables me to produce er: exact halance, to insure the absence of oil from the interior of the floatvriih attendant sensitiveness and. hento obtain direct readingw ever desired on the ihterual as well as the external. pressures. The mechenicel' e le-' merits by which I attain these ends a rotar luhulur shaft passing horizontallfl throug a et-uiiiug box in the still wall, Wit

its inner end bent at right angles and carrybefore the fire 1 is epa simple scheme for include ing: the float, and its outer end connected through a pressure-tight swivel joiui. to 21 gas; receiver in which pressure may be maintained through ihe condenser from the same stilhzis showmorfrom mother still or bah tery of stills or by mechanical means such 51s :1 compressor. The fluici'lcvel indicator 1s mounted on or connected to the float shaft hetweeu the smiling box and. the swivel joint, and feed controlling mechanism for automatically regulating the supply offresh oil may be actuated from the same portion of the shaft as the indicator. v I I My invention is illustrated in the accom pauyiug drawings. in which:

Figure l is a horizontal cliagr section of metill with my float epparetus attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic end View with parts in section.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view on an enlerged scale showing the float and connected parts. 1

Figure 4C is 'a circuit diagram showing valve opening and pumpingmeens conirolled by the float. in the; drawings 1 indicates the still, 2 a gas receiver or pressure tank, connected to the still through a condenser 3, and 4 the float, cerried on a tubular shaft bent at right angles t 6 with its horizontal arm 7 passing through a, stuiilng box 8 in the still well eudherniineting' in a packed swivel joint 9 from which a. fixed tube 10 passes to the gee receiver. Deteils of pressure valves etc; are omitted for sim licity. It is to be understood thatstander preccice is followed as to all these parts. Thus, the still has the usual manholes, feed pipe, take oil pipes, valves, eieemd the severel pipes. to and from the still and the gas receiver mayheve any desired system of valves. The essential feature for my premnt purpose is that the pressuree in the still, or equiveleni pressures supplied from wichoui. are supplied through the tubular shaft 5 to the interior of the float, laud that; the means employed for this purpoee as well as the controlling parts therefor, all he out! side the still Where fihey are accessible. Valves ere indicated et 11 end 12 for the gas outlet end iiie liquid outlet respectively of the gas receiver 2. The clothed line. shown on the as receiver 2 indicetw theliquid. level an the gins from the! still which has aromatic light metal brush l3,

passegl through the condenser enters the gas receiver below the liquid lei I 'eh as showse. In Figure 3, the float and its eoimeeied parts are shown in side VlCW with. iiii 1- pater hand. 13

4, sweeps round in m veniently lie parallel Will 2 tubular arm 5 with its (zip l3 ooposite I of the float 4-, so thin; the exec-L 0* of the float and therefore (if the 'l may be directly indicated oi: all t mes 03* 26 tip 13*. In Figure 4 the arm 13 is shown czu'i'yiug which siz'eeps over a metal contact are 13? This .fiizhj be ailjusi able if desired, so shat {the ill vii-thin which the oil level willjie kepl. may he (Torre sponclingly adjusfiecl.

The contact 1.3 connected hy circuit, lI'BS to relay R and a-soui'ee if eurifeni B. The relay controls the workingcircuit in of motor M, Whieh may will, 0% a feed into the still iihiiough a (heel: valve, "or equivalent i: wheii sni Any standard arrangement of 'ui feed may be used, my invention being :1 this case limited lo vhe float and its 00ml A with the other elemenfis ilessi'll'ieu. iii operntiom is shown in Fig. .3:, theizill of the oil level brings :iheut the closing i ll':(3 cuit 13". 13, R, B" which energize-s relay ii 11ml closes circuit in of motor '1 which :ictuates vpump P in force .ii'esh ell lfl- 'i 'ihe still t n'ogh check valve V. When he proper h l is reached, the i-oiuiaei's l3 and 13 sepai m, the pumping ceases.

In practice I may use one or mo 'e ii-es sure gauges or manometers 1n the eelhe stilll is. bent tubular arm final; eml

ih rough mil circuits are broken in:

messes tween "the aniline wet for iwiieetiim for example.

. 1i v stills :mii is e .h e eenipi'ising a hollow fleet within h -Q1 18, tuhuh'izshaft arm (Jerry n g; said fleas; and passing through'zi wull m the still, and outside of the still.

to interior of the fleas. A. s stem in eommunicase ii'essmm throu h said shaft for high pressure (bill,

stills anil {he lii're comprising :2, hollow float Within the sixilh a tubuliu'shaft arm CLi'IfjI-r 2:52;; said float and passing fihrough. a well 61? {he still, mu'lmeahs to supply pressure 2mm without the still through seid shaft aim to the ID'fiQIifiI' of the float, together 3 1th means maintain said pressure equal to lhe pressure in the shill.

3. A float system for i'iigh pressure oil stills comprising a hollow float within the still,

tubular shal't arm carrying said flonot, and

uissin g through a will of the still, and means for cenm'eunicating pressure from within the stall in miul tubular shaft on the outside of the still will through said shaft to the in imlling the oil level in pressure stills which comprises e hollow having :1 she-ii member passing "'vumalleql 5111i wall of the still, pr sume will: without the still, a fixed 'Luhulm' QUINN-(M011 between said 'tzmli and Lhe .ouiz==i le eucl n? the float shaft, and means; orcommunicating pressure from the intwin of the still to said pressure tank.

in iestimohy x, hereof nifix my signature.

' FRANK l WELTJMAN.

float Within cairying the 

